In Memoriam
by ayushi
Summary: She was invisible to the everyone but him. He saw her. He spent three days with her. And he left. She wondered, if he remembered her during his last minutes. Because she would always remember him. He will forever be in her memory. [AcexOC]
1. Prologue

A/N: So this is just a short preview of a three-shot. And yes I was supposed to be studying for my exams that start in around 4 days but I ended up writing this. Anyways, read on and hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own One Piece.

Prologue

Silently, she watched.

The wide black screens were blank but the man standing next to her had very loudly and happily announced to his son and daughter that they would begin any minute now. All around her people were buzzing with excitement. It was a big event after all. She, herself had travelled all the way from their small island to Sabaody just so she could watch it. Because she couldn't believe the news, she couldn't believe what everyone in the village told her, no they were wrong. She _knew_ him. They were wrong, he wasn't going to die. So she came. She came to watch. She came to watch him escape from right under the Marines nose. That's right, he would escape. She _believed_ in him. She _knew_ him. She _knew _he wouldn't die. He _couldn't_ die. So she stood, in the middle of the crowd going unnoticed by the people surrounding her, the people who were chattering on and on about how it was _obvious_ that he would die.

So silently, she stood.

Every time she tried to open her mouth to defend the man she loved, her voice would just come out in a hoarse whisper going unheard by the people who were making bets on his life. She never had any presence to begin with it was a miracle that somebody like him had noticed her, that somebody like him had talked to her, laughed with her, smiled at her. No, there was no way he was going to die. No, these people didn't know him, she knew him and she knew he would escape. And that's what she had come to watch. She had come to watch the Marines make a fool of themselves. So she looked up at the sky that was filled with those beautiful bubbles rising up every few seconds. She tried to keep count of the bubbles and that successfully drowned out the chaos and noise surrounding her. The pop sound they made when they burst made her smile slightly. It had been such a long time since she had seen him. Though she thought about him every day and had secretly put up his wanted poster in her room, it really had been a long time since she had seen his face clearly. She wondered if she'll get to see him laugh or at least smile. The bubbles rose up and popped as she let his face invade her thoughts. Just a few more minutes she thought, just few more minutes and I'll finally get to see him.

So silently, she waited.

She waited with a crowd of people she knew nothing about. She waited with a crowd of people who were different from her. She waited with a crowd of people who didn't know him as well as she did.

But they all waited together for the execution of Portgas D. Ace to begin.

-x-

**A/N:** The next chapter will be much longer and focus on the few days Ace spent with the OC. It'll probably be up in a day or two because I seriously don't feel like studying. Reviews are always appreciated and thank you for reading.


	2. Day 1

A/N: So this chapter was supposed to contain all the three days but it got a little lengthy so I had to split it. Thanks to **chibi-yachiru-chan** and **arsonphobic** for reviewing! And everybody else who followed and favourited the story, thank you. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, do you seriously think Ace would've died?

Day 1

A dead body and a small boat had washed up on the shore in the morning. It was the talk of the town. Everyone on the small island was gathered around the scene, too afraid to get near the man lying dead in the sand. One auburn haired girl pushed her way to the front to take a good look. She bit her lip when she saw the body, no wonder everyone was afraid to go near him. The body was lying on its front, with the face buried completely in sand and the back visible to every bystander. And that back was completely covered in a tattoo of a certain infamous purple jolly roger. She turned away her eyes in fear and looked further down the beach, she could see the remnants of what was definitely a small sailing dinghy lying a few feet away from the body. They must have been caught up in the dreadful storm that struck a day ago, she thought. The quiet murmur that surrounded the scene died out as everyone decided to go back and let the body be. The girl was about to do the same when she snuck a last glance at the body and her eyes widened in surprise.

"He's not dead, he's _sleeping!"_ She cried out but the crowd had already dispersed and nobody heard her exclamation. She sighed, used to being ignored all the time, she walked up to body and knelt down. She touched his back with the tip of her fingers and she felt it immediately. _Devil fruit user_, she thought to herself. She shot the sleeping man's head (well the back of it at least) a nasty look and got up to leave. She walked a few steps away from him, following the trail taken by the other townspeople when she suddenly heard movement from behind her. She stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly. He was now sitting up and spitting out sand from his mouth, he stretched is arms over his head and yawned slightly. His eyes still reeked of sleep as they gathered in the surroundings and eventually they landed on her.

"Excuse me!"

His voice rang in her ears. It sent a cold shiver down her spine, she was afraid, not of him but the tattoo on his back. She looked around and then back at him, lifting her finger she pointed at herself to confirm if he was talking to her.

The man cocked an eyebrow, an amused look settled on his face as he nodded, "Despite of what it may look like ma'am, I don't have a habit of talking to myself."

The grin he sent her was a cheeky one and she felt embarrassed as she studied her boots, refusing to meet his eyes. She mustered up all her courage and tried to shout in the rudest voice she could manage, "Well, what do you want?" It was obvious in the way he tried to conceal his laugh that the man could tell she was just trying her best to come off as an impolite person when in reality she was completely opposite.

"I was wondering where I could get a boat." He smiled at her.

She fiddled with the hem of her skirt and once again stared at her knee length boots, quite intrigued with their brown colour. She felt her cheeks grow hot under his gaze and she muttered quietly, not sure if he heard her, "It's a very small island and our town is the only settlement over here. We don't have spare boats but there is a ferry that leaves every once in a while."

She knew he heard her as he nodded in response and stood up. He dusted off sand from his black knee length shorts and took off his shoes and shook them till all the sand was out. Once he put his shoes back on, he set off towards the ruins of the small dinghy. The girl, unsure of what to do, stood rooted to her spot observing his every move. He rummaged through the broken pieces of dinghy, his back facing now facing her. She averted her gaze as the tattoo came in view and contemplated whether she should leave. And just when she was about to quietly make her exit, his voice made her stay.

"Where exactly am I?" He called out as he still continued his search for god knows what.

"Not so far from Water 7." She replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

"That's perfect. I can get an awesome boat from there." The glee was evident in his voice and even with only his back visible, she could tell he was grinning.

"That's also the first stop the ferry makes." She added.

"That's even more perfect." He turned around and grinned at her. In one hand he was holding a rucksack which he slung over his shoulder and in the other an orange cowboy hat. He put the hat on his head and started walking towards her. She shook her head vigorously trying to keep her face from getting warm again. He stopped a few steps away from her and tilted his head, an amused smile playing on his lips as he asked her, "I'm Ace and you are…?" He trailed off as he sized her up and despite her efforts, she felt her face get warm under his enquiring gaze.

"Leah." She said quietly.

"Leah. That's a weird name." He laughed.

She flushed as she glared at him, "What's so weird about it?"

"Well, it just sounds weird. _Le-ah._ Weird." He smirked at her.

Now that he was so standing so close, she could finally take a good look at him. He was a few inches taller than her and looked to be about the same age as her. He was lean and muscular, his skin was tanned and had a rough looking exterior. The reason she could tell all this was because he refused to wear a shirt which Leah found quite strange. Thick black curls jutted out from under the hat covering his face that had the most striking feature from which Leah couldn't take her eyes off, the freckles that spread in clusters over both his cheeks.

"Well I'll have you know that Leah is a very common name. It's simple and easy to…" She paused for a second and added in a small voice, "forget."

"Well I sure won't forget it. Now if you wouldn't mind Leah-chan, could you show me the way to the ferry?"

His smile was gentle and it made her blush. She avoided his gaze as she talked to him, "You can't go into the town looking like that."

He raised an eyebrow, "Looking like what?"

She took a deep breath and finally met his eyes, "You have to hide the tattoo."

All softness disappeared from his face as his smile turned into a cold blank stare and his voice came out in a deep growl, "Why?"

She stumbled as she took a few steps back, unable to avert her eyes from his face as she answered him in a shaky voice, "Because…because everyone's scared of it! _I'm_ scared of it!"

His cold gaze turned into a glare and he remained silent for a while. She took a few steps back again as his fiery glare burned into her eyes. A few minutes passed before he sighed and finally pulled out a half sleeve pale yellow shirt from his strangely patterned rucksack and draped it over his shoulders, not bothering to button the shirt which Leah found quite distracting. He motioned her to lead the way as the heated glare reverted back to the cold stare. She could swear that the temperature was rising and falling according to his mood.

She nodded and quickly started walking towards the trail in the forest which led to their town. They walked in silence with Leah walking a few steps ahead her eyes on the ground and Ace observing the trees surrounding them. Once in a while she would turn around to check if he was still following her. She caught him staring hungrily at all the vibrant and juicy fruits decorating the forest trees.

"This island is just made up of fruits. Our town was founded by a shipwrecked crew a few years ago and since then we just export the various fruits that grow in the forest to the other kingdoms and islands. That's what the ferry is for." She told him though she wasn't sure if he was listening because he looked more interested in the fruits.

She heard him chuckle and mutter something but all she could make out was 'he sure would like that' and 'an island just made up of fruits'. When she turned around again the smile was back on his face. She felt relief wash over her whole body as they continued the walk towards the town.

"So what do you do?"

His voice caught her by surprise and she jumped up and then accidently tripped on a tree root and fell flat on her face. His loud laugh could be heard throughout the forest and she could feel the blush creeping on her face while lying down on the ground. She helped herself up and bent down and massaged her now slightly red knees. She straightened up and looked at him as he continued to laugh and wiped a tear or two from his eyes.

She couldn't bring herself to glare at him because he looked so happy so she just continued walking and answered his question, "I own an apple orchard."

"Oh, that's nice." He swiftly caught up to her and walked next to her as he stifled his laugh and grinned at her.

"It's nothing big." She muttered.

They walked alongside each other with Ace whistling and Leah trying to avoid looking at him. When they finally reached the clearing and entered the town, Ace looked a little disappointed with the shabby welcome sign and the dull looking town. There were not more than thirty hastily made houses with some of them on the verge of falling apart. But what did catch his eyes was the wide array of trees on each side of the road, providing shade and food for the passer by. And every house had a patch of trees with different fruits surrounding it.

"What's the name of the town?" He asked.

"They haven't decided on a name yet." Leah answered him, her eyes wandered over the few people roaming about the town and she immediately spotted the ferry captain and quickly turned towards Ace only to find him stuff his face with multi coloured berries that she had always hated. It was her turn to raise an eyebrow as she silently questioned him.

He just shrugged as he continued to eat.

She rolled her eyes and pointed towards the captain, "That's the ferry captain, you should go talk to him."

He nodded and quickly swallowed the fruit and started towards the captain when he noticed she was still standing under the shade of a tree, "Aren't you coming with me, Leah-chan?"

She shook her head and signalled him to hurry up. She watched him run up to the captain and talk. She narrowed her eyes as both the men laughed and shook hands and Ace made his way back to where she was standing. The Captain would've probably had a heart attack if he knew that Ace was the dead man from the shore, she thought.

"He says the ferry will leave day after tomorrow. They're taking a break because of the recent storm." He looked a little disappointed with that news, "I wish I could just swim back to my ship."

"But you'll drown won't you? Devil Fruit users can't swim."

Ace shot her a bewildered look, "How do you…?"

"You could stay at my place till then." Leah offered quickly as she tried to change the subject.

He stared at her for a while, trying to read her face but gave up after a few seconds. He winked at her as he replied in a deep, low voice which made her blush from head to toe, "Now I really wouldn't mind that."

"I only offered because there's no hotel or inn in our town and I'm the only person you know so far, so I thought…" She trailed off too embarrassed to say any further.

"Looks like I don't have any other choice but to accept your offer."

She looked up at him to see him smiling at her and she felt the blush deepen.

"Let's get going then." She squeaked and cursed herself for being so silly, she heard him chuckle which only made her feel more embarrassed.

Her small hut at the end of town was nothing special and one could easily miss it because of the large apple trees surrounding it. The hut was made of mud and clay with a bricked roof. On the inside it consisted of one large room which was the kitchen, the living room, the bed room all at once.

"You live by yourself?" Ace asked her as he looked around the small home.

"Yes."

It was almost noon so Leah decided to start on lunch, a meal she usually didn't bother with but Ace looked like he ate quite a lot so she decided to work hard. It's not like she was trying to impress him or anything she told herself countless times. While she cooked, the pirate exited the hut to look around the orchard and avoid awkward conversation. Leah lost track of time as she cooked a full-fledged meal. Quite happy with her outcome she looked around the house for the guest only to find the hut completely empty. She entered the orchard in search for him and a scary thought entered her head. _What if he saw that?_ Her fear was affirmed as she finally found him in the back staring up at a tree which was hidden between two wide apple trees. The fruit hanging from the tree was not an apple or any other normal fruit for that matter.

"Devil Fruit." He said when he heard her approach from behind.

She stayed quiet. A long silent gap stretched between them as they both stared at the sole fruit hanging from the tree. She was observing the tattoo on his back when he suddenly turned around and looked her straight in the eye.

"You're hiding a Devil Fruit in the orchard."

-x-

A/N: So this is no longer a three-shot. Haha, I seriously cannot follow through a plan. So just a few more chapters to go which will be up shortly. Reviews are much appreciated and thank you for reading!


	3. Day 2

A/N: So. Yeah. My exams are done and I swear I was sleeping for two days straight but after receiving a small threat from someone I'm back on track and ready to finish what I started. Thank you all for reading and reviewing and favouriting and following, it really made me happy. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece, just this small island and Leah-chan.

Day 2

The rest of the day was spent eating, picking apples, some more eating and mostly not talking. Leah offered her small bed to the pirate but he refused saying how could he let _Leah-chan_ sleep on the floor in her own home. So with the help of a few more blankets he got comfortable on the floor while Leah slept on the bed. Well at least she tried to sleep but it wasn't her fault that she couldn't. The man sleeping comfortably (and occasionally snoring) on the floor clouded her thoughts throughout the night and by the time her eyes finally started to droop, it was already morning.

And so began her second day with the pirate.

Leah had been living alone for a few years now and having to cook for somebody else was frankly, a pain. And especially for someone who ate as much as Ace. She flopped down on one of the few wooden chairs decorating her so called living room and wiped her face with a towel. She had to make twenty pancakes. Two for herself and _eighteen_ for the pirate. She had never cooked so much breakfast ever. Even though she had woken up just a few hours ago, she wanted to crawl back into her bed, under the covers and avoid any more contact with the pirate. The awkward silence that had been stretching between them since yesterday was making her very uncomfortable.

"This apple syrup is really good."

The girl looked up to see him stuff the last pancake in his mouth and lick the syrup off the plate.

"Thank you." She muttered politely.

And once again the silence took its designated place. Leah decided to shift to her bed from the chair and try to get some sleep. But yet again she found it impossible to do so with the pirate just sitting cross-legged on the floor near her bed and staring up at her. She turned in her bed and covered herself up with the pale blue blanket.

He started whistling.

"_What?" _

He raised his eyebrow at her annoyed tone and just shrugged nonchalantly.

Leah threw away the blanket completely and sat up in bed to face him, her feet dangling from the edge. She had never felt so irritated before. Never in her whole life had anybody gotten to her this bad. She could feel the blood rush to her face as she hissed at him, "If you have something to say then just say it."

An amused smile played on his lips as he took in her reaction. Clearly he was not scared of her angry side, it made him laugh. Leah immediately felt stupid for letting her emotions get better of her. He was a pirate after all. And he wasn't a part of just any pirate crew, no he was a part of the most feared crew on the whole of Grand Line. Why would he be afraid of her? If anything it should've been vice versa. But for some reason she wasn't afraid of him. She remembered how the townspeople had all left him to die when they had seen the tattoo on his back. She tried to remember if she had felt any fear at that time but her mind came up with nothing. She found it quite strange how her brain kept telling her that he was not a bad person, that he was not like those other pirates.

He cleared his throat to catch her attention and the red tint on her face deepened a little more from embarrassment.

"So." He said.

"So?" She asked.

"You could sell it." He said quietly.

Her eyes widened,

"I mean it, you know? You could make millions by selling it! There are so many people on the Grand Line who desire the power of that fruit, they would give anything for it."

Her body had gone stiff. She couldn't believe her ears. And here she had thought that this man was not like the other pirates.

"You could be so rich. And you could get rid of this shabby hut and leave this island and live someplace else, someplace better! You just have to sell that thing and your life would be set."

She stared at him with a blank expression on her face. She could tell from the look of excitement on his face that he was not lying. She clenched her fists and said through gritted teeth, "What do you know? What do you know about that fruit?"

He stopped talking and looked at her. His face was now stoic and his voice cold, "I ate one, you know. So yeah, I do know quite a lot."

"And what has that fruit done to you? Taken away your ability to swim? Taken away your chance to enjoy water? That fruit-"

"That fruit gave me power to protect the people I care about."

His words cut through her. _Protect the people I care about._ No. That was not what that fruit had done for her. Rather it had taken away the people she cared about. That fruit was the devil itself and she would never wish such misfortune on a fellow being.

"I'm gonna take a walk. You should get some rest."

With that the pirate walked out of her home and she covered herself with the blanket again hoping to fall asleep for some time.

-x-

When she woke, it was already evening and the sun was beginning to set. She cursed herself for falling asleep for so long as she pulled her head out of the blanket. A familiar smell greeted her, the smell of fresh mud. It must have rained, she thought to herself. Her eyes wandered over the small hut and she noticed the pirate sitting on the floor with his legs sprawled out in front him and his back leaning against the leg of one of the wooden chairs occupying the living room. He was munching on some apples and he looked her way when she got off the bed and stood up. She shivered and instantly wrapped her arms around her as she walked towards the kitchen. There was no heating system in the hut and she usually spent her winters holed up in a corner on the bed.

And all of a sudden, an unknown warmth spread through the small abode. She stopped shivering and let her arms fall to the side. She glanced at the pirate who hadn't moved from his position and was still munching on some apples which she was sure was he had picked from her trees. _Without her permission._ She continued her quest to make some warm tea and contemplated whether she should make some for Ace as well. Giving in to her nice side the auburn haired girl made two cups of tea and carried the tray towards the living room. She sat down, keeping her distance from him and kept the tray in the middle. He finished eating the apple and tossed the remnants of the fruit into the pile of fully devoured apples lying on his left.

He wiped his hands on his black shorts and without any warning he grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her next to him. She opened her mouth to protest and scream but instantly closed it as the warmth washed over her body. And she realised that it was coming from him. He let go of her arm but made sure that she didn't scoot away from him. He picked up the two cups and handed one to her. She held onto the cup tightly, her face growing warmer every second she spent next to him. The lack of distance between them was making her dizzy. She snuck a glance at him and saw that he was perfectly fine, calmly sipping the tea.

"It's your fruit." She stated squeakily.

"It's my fruit." He replied simply.

Silently they drank the tea. Sitting next to him, Leah felt a kind of warmth she had never felt before. That warmth made her happy. It made her remember all the lovely memories she had shared with her family in this small hut. She looked at him again, unsure of their status as friends because of the disagreement in the morning, but to her surprise she found him smiling at her. And before she knew it, her head was leaning on his shoulder, her eyes were closed and she was smiling in a way she hadn't in years.

"My mother had eaten a fruit. She was a performer. She went on tours and entertained people. My father was a simple sailor. He loved discovering new islands. He was the first one to land here, long before those shipwrecked people came and turned it into a town. He built this hut around 20 years ago. This hut is where my mother would come to hide from the fame and the pains of her job. She would spend days and days with my father and me, not bothering to let her manager know. One day while on her way to Saboady, her ship was caught in a thunderstorm. And she drowned. Nobody tried to save her. They knew that she couldn't swim but they didn't help her. My father never told me the abilities of her fruit. But whatever they were, they couldn't save her."

She didn't even realise when she started talking. She didn't even know if he was listening or sleeping. But for 5 years she had been talking to herself and now finally someone was there with her. Someone was there right next to her, providing her with the warmth that she very much needed. So whether he was paying attention or not, she decided to continue.

"My father taught me everything there is to know about a Devil Fruit."

"That's how you knew?"

His voice caught her off guard and she stumbled for a minute and then collected herself and nodded slowly, "Your blood. It flows differently."

"Is your father also…?" He trailed off already knowing the answer to his question.

"Yes, murdered by his own best friend because he refused to reveal the location of this island. You see his best friend wanted to sell the fruit just like you suggested. But from what my father told me, for every Devil Fruit that is plucked, another one grows somewhere else. And that is why he made me promise that I would never touch the fruit myself or let anyone else touch it. All these weird fruits and trees on the island were planted by my father in order to disguise the Devil Fruit. He tried his best to protect this one fruit from ruining someone's life. About 18 months after his death, these people came and built a town around these trees. I've managed to keep the fruit hidden from them all this while…"

"So you're saying nobody in the town knows about it?"

She nodded, "Nobody really notices my presence and hence don't care. I told you, didn't I? It's a simple name, very easy to forget."

The silence stretched on for a while. Both of them had long finished their tea. They just sat there, next to each other, letting the conversation sink in. Leah felt relieved. She had never talked to anyone so freely before and she could only describe this feeling as pure bliss. The loneliness that had crept up inside her and made a permanent hole in her chest was finally starting to disappear. She felt giddy and just so happy. She lifted her head off his shoulder and gazed at him.

He grinned as he brought his head closer to hers, "Well, for what's it worth Leah-chan, I sure as hell won't forget it."

And then he kissed her.

-x-

**A/N:** All of the Devil Fruit stuff is my own speculation, so I hope you don't find it weird. Let me know what you thought of it and yay just two more chapters to go!


	4. Day 3

A/N: Even I have no idea how I updated so fast. But I did. So deal with it. And I apologise for the short length but this is how it ends. Well not ends exactly. I mean there is still the epilogue.

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

Day 3

The kiss had barely lasted a few seconds but it felt like an eternity to Leah. The kiss had barely meant anything but at the same time it had meant everything. The kiss did not signify love neither did it signify friendship. It just implied that she meant something to him. Not a lover but much more than a friend. Not someone who'll stay with him forever but much more than the girl from the small island. Through that small kiss he had acknowledged her presence in his life and to her, no fruit would ever taste as sweet as that kiss.

This is what it felt like to have someone by your side. It was amazing how she couldn't bring herself to stop talking. Sitting next to him being comforted by his warmth, it did something to her. She talked about everything she had ever known but what really surprised her was that he listened and nodded along and smiled and laughed. His _laugh_. It made her feel like she wasn't really alone anymore.

And before she knew it, her last day with the pirate had already begun.

She looked at the circular wooden clock hanging over her bed once more. It was just 7:30 AM. Plenty of time before the ferry leaves, she thought. Her eyes fell on the figure currently occupying the space below her bed and she couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face. He sleeps like a dead man, she giggled as she turned back towards to the stove and continued with the breakfast. She hummed quietly as the eggs sizzled on the pan. She wondered if the aroma of a cooked meal was the only thing which was able to wake up the pirate from his slumber. A small thud right outside her front door interrupted her train of thought and she went to pick up the morning paper. She opened the door and picked up the newspaper and checked the date. She frowned and looked at the bird awaiting its payment.

"You're late again."

The bird just tilted her head and Leah groaned with frustration as she handed over the few coins. The bird satisfied with the money, chirped happily and flew away. The paper was always late. Their island was so small and unnoticeable that they even forgot to deliver the newspaper on time. She shut the door a little too loudly and returned to the stove, dropping the paper on one of the chairs on the way. She noticed two Wanted posters fall from inside the paper and before she could bother to pick them up, Ace already had.

"Unbelievable."

He was staring at one of the wanted posters in his hand with his mouth hanging open. She quickly turned off the stove and rushed over to his side to look at the wanted poster. She was a little taken aback by the smiling face of a teen staring back at her. She had never seen anyone look so happy in their wanted poster. She frowned at the name written below the picture and turned to look at Ace, "You know him?"

He replied in a shocked voice, "That's my little brother."

_His brother. _

"That's so awful!"

"That's so awesome!"

There was a small silence as both the occupants of the small hut stared at each other with a slight frown on each of their faces.

"How is that awful?" He raised his eyebrow as a questioning look settled on his face.

"Well this means that the Marines are after him and his life is in danger and he's probably a –"

"He's probably a pirate." He finished for her. The questioning look was quickly replaced by a grin, "He's a pirate!" He exclaimed happily.

Leah couldn't fathom the happiness she heard in his voice, it almost sounded like he was proud of the fact that his brother was wanted by the World Government, "You're proud of him. Why are you so proud of him?"

He smiled, not taking his eyes off the poster, "Because he's one step closer to his dream."

"And what is his dream? To get executed at the hands of the World Government?" She bit her lip, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

But he didn't reply in a cold tone or with a scathing remark. He was still smiling at his brother's photo, his eyes holding a softness she didn't understand, "Luffy is the man who'll become the Pirate King." He murmured softly.

She stood there, stunned by his response. But somehow she just couldn't understand any of it. Maybe it's because she never had any ambitions. The only thing she needed to do was protect what her father had guarded with his life. That's all she knew. She didn't know anything about having adventures on the wide blue sea or chasing after a dream by putting everything on stake. Maybe that is why she couldn't understand the man standing in front of her. She would never be able to understand his ambition, his purpose and that is why he hadn't shared them with her.

"Can I keep this?"

His voice brought her back and she nodded fiercely, "Yes sure, go ahead."

He grinned in response and carefully folded the poster and slipped it inside his backpack. They had their breakfast in silence with Ace occasionally commenting on how good the food was. He helped her gather the produce for the ferry and with his help, the work got over way faster than usual. She packed him a big lunch that she hoped would last till Water 7. He had been pretty disappointed when he found out that the only food available on the ferry would be the produce and that he was obviously not allowed to eat that. So she used up all of her supplies for the week, convincing herself that she could last on fruit salad for a long while and made him a big fat bento. He put on the pale yellow shirt to cover the tattoo and helped her carry the cartons of apple to the ferry. The port was crowded with all the people submitting their produce and nobody noticed the two of them sitting in a corner observing the sea.

"Will I ever see you again?"

She had known the answer to that question the very first day she had met him but she asked him anyways. He didn't answer her with words but just a small smile. She nodded and shifted her gaze back to the blue sea. They just sat there, not talking, not moving just counting the few minutes that were left. Several times Leah opened her mouth to say something but the words never came out. Somewhere in between she snuck a glance at him. He was looking right ahead of him and smiling the same soft smile from earlier this morning. He must be thinking about his brother, she thought. She wondered what kind of a bond they shared and then it hit her. She knew absolutely nothing about him and he knew absolutely everything about her. The man sitting next to her was a complete stranger to her. Or was he? She knew that he took pride in the tattoo on his back, she knew that he was strong enough to protect the people he cared about, she knew that he believed in his brother. And maybe just maybe, knowing that much was enough.

The loud siren signalled the departure of the ferry and Ace quickly got up to leave. He smiled at her one last time and boarded the vessel. She watched him interact with the other men on the boat. She watched him talk and laugh so easily with those strangers. She watched as the ferry slowly started to edge away. Within a few minutes it would disappear around the horizon and she might never see him again.

"_Ace!"_

He looked at her in surprise, his eyes wide. That was the first time she had ever called him by his name and she couldn't believe how smoothly it rolled off her tongue. _Ace._ She could feel the tears falling down her cheeks as she mustered up all the courage she had left and shouted at the top of her lungs, "It was really nice to meet you!"

And he just laughed.

-x-

A/N: Just go read the epilogue and then you can hate on me.


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue

No, this was not how it was supposed to happen. This broadcast was a lie. Or so she would like to believe but the man on the screen was no doubt the man she had fallen in love with. But she didn't want to see him like this. She didn't want to see him in so much pain. She couldn't help him. All she could do was watch and just stand and cry and watch and just watch. She couldn't do anything to save him. She wanted to but she couldn't. Because she was _powerless_. She was weak and that's why she couldn't protect the people she cared about.

The war raged on and she watched. She watched him kneel on the platform. She watched him put his head down and cry. She watched him tremble with fear, with pain, with sorrow as his past was revealed to the whole world. She heard the whole plaza gasp when the Fleet Admiral announced the true identity of Ace's father. She watched and she listened but she didn't feel anything. Because to her, it didn't matter. She already knew who he was and him being the son of the Pirate King wouldn't change her feelings towards him.

She watched the great pirate Whitebeard arrive. She watched his little brother arrive. She watched as they all fought to save him. As they all worked hard to reach him. And all she could do was watch.

The transmission was bad and the screen would go blank occasionally but she already knew what was going to happen. She knew that they will kill him. And she didn't want to see that. She couldn't watch him die. She just couldn't.

The strong belief with which she had come to watch the Broadcast this morning was shattered. She couldn't bring herself to believe _anything_ anymore. Her mind had gone blank. So in the middle of the broadcast she turned around and left.

She let her feet guide her. She walked away from the big screens. She walked away from his pained face. She walked away from it all. But where was she going? Should she go back to the little hut on the little island? Should she run away to someplace else? Should she go and have an adventure of her own?

Or she could always just go back and eat that Devil Fruit…

-x-

The End

-x-

A/N: Yay! I actually finished a story! And now you guys can send the hate mail.


End file.
